Open Letter to MLBPA

The players union for MLB has filed a grievance saying that Shawn Chacon was fired without just cause. This sickens me! The following is a copy of the e-mail I sent to feedback@mlbpa.org

To Whom It May Concern:

I just read that the Players Union has filed a grievance against the Houston Astros for not having just cause. Really? I am completely surprised. I understand that it is your job to protect and advocate for the players, but he pushed his GM down. It does not matter what the GM said or did to cause the reaction. Chacon was wrong and now he should pay the price.

Out here in the non-professional athlete’s world, we get screamed out, cussed at and told that we have to be in places that we don’t want to be and at times that we don’t want to be there. We get up and calmly walk to boss’s office and take our lumps. Why do we do this? Because we value our jobs. We have to think before we act. We have to be the bigger person. We want to keep our jobs and we definitely do not want to go to jail for something that as an adult, we should be able to handle with civility. If we acted like Shawn Chacon, we would be fired and have criminal charges filed against us.

The professional athlete is far to often coddled and protected from their selfish and immature actions. They think they are above everyone, including the law. By filing this grievance, you are not only telling Shawn Chacon that he has the right to push his boss to the floor, but every other person that it is ok.

We may not want to admit this, but athletes are role models. Chacon, if he gets away with it, will have shown the world that you should go and shove your boss to the ground. You might as well kick them while they are down too, because your union will protect you.

Make athlete’s take a stand. A stand that shows that they have respect for their teammates. Respect for authority. Respect for their fans. Respect for the game of baseball. This grievance makes a mockery of baseball.